Shamanism and the origin of states
Subtitle: spirit, power, and gender in East Asia
By: Sarah Milledge Nelson.
Publisher: Left Coast Press
Published: 2008
Place of publication: Walnut Creek, CA
Language: eng
Number of pages: 283
ISBN-13: 9781598741322; 9781598741339
Subjects: Shamanism -- East Asia; Mythology, Asian; Religion and state -- East Asia; Sex role -- East Asia; East Asia -- Religious life and customs
Description: Sarah Milledge Nelson's bold thesis is that the development of states in East Asia - China, Japan, Korea - was an outgrowth of the leadership in smaller communities guided by shamans.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Orientation; title: Landscapes, legends, and skyscapes; title: What is a shaman?; title: Power, leadership and gender; title: Shamanism in the East Asian neolithic; title: Shamanism in early Chinese states; title: Shamanism in Korea; title: Shamanism in Japan; title: Rewinding the strands : leadership, ideology, cultural patterns, gender, and shamans in East Asia.